Chapter 566: The Scarlet Phoenix Flame Heart and the Artifact Spirit of the Mysterious Heaven Hall
As soon as they stepped into the Mysterious Heaven Hall, Lin Langtian and Lin Dong encountered the Nine Cauldron Divine Hammer, ranked 23rd on the Ancient Divine Artifact List, immediately bringing smiles to their faces.
After all, this was undoubtedly a tremendous gain.
At that moment, from the corner of his eye, Lin Langtian caught sight of a red flash shooting above his head. Reacting swiftly, he grabbed it in his hand.
Lin Dong, noticing Lin Langtian's action, turned his attention to him and saw a fiery ball of light about the size of a human head glowing brightly in Lin Langtian's palm.
Within that ball of flame, a crimson heart could faintly be seen pulsating gently. With every beat, a terrifying demonic beast's aura spread outward, reminiscent of a true phoenix.
"What is this?" Lin Langtian asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Boy, you're in luck! This is the Scarlet Phoenix Flame Heart. The Scarlet Phoenix clan is a formidable divine beast race in the Great Thousand World. They're numerous but rare visitors to this plane. When powerful Scarlet Phoenix clan members perish, their life-long fire energy condenses into this Scarlet Phoenix Flame Heart you now hold. If the Fire Plume Sword absorbs this, it has a high chance of evolving," Aunt Ling's voice suddenly echoed.
"Scarlet Phoenix Flame Heart, huh… To what extent could the sword evolve?" Lin Langtian's brows rose in surprise and excitement.
"Rest assured, it won't be much inferior to your Static Divine Tablet," Aunt Ling replied with a gentle smile.
"Not much inferior to the Static Divine Tablet... doesn't that mean it could reach or even surpass the top ten on the Ancient Divine Artifact List?" Lin Langtian murmured, astonished.
The Static Divine Tablet itself had a high ranking; if the upgraded Fire Plume Sword surpassed it, that meant it had the potential to enter the top ten ranks.
It should be known that even this Mysterious Heaven Hall itself ranked tenth on the Ancient Divine Artifact List.
"Brother Langtian, what's this…?" Lin Dong approached and asked curiously, staring at the glowing red sphere in Lin Langtian's hand.
Though unfamiliar with the Scarlet Phoenix Flame Heart, he could easily tell how extraordinary this treasure was. Undoubtedly, it was comparable to the Nine Cauldron Divine Hammer.
"This item is useful to me. Brother Dong, would you mind if I take it?" Lin Langtian held up the glowing red orb, looking at Lin Dong without further elaboration.
Since Lin Dong was the one who had allowed Lin Langtian to enter the Mysterious Heaven Hall due to his relationship with the Ancestral Stone, Lin Langtian naturally felt it appropriate to ask Lin Dong's permission.
Lin Dong momentarily froze upon hearing the request, then quickly nodded with a hearty smile. "Of course. This is your own discovery, Brother Langtian. Feel free to decide."
Back then, within the Ancestral Soul Hall of the Nine-tailed Fox, Lin Dong had obtained substantial benefits from the Nine-tailed Fox Ancestor. In contrast, Lin Langtian had practically walked away empty-handed. Lin Dong had always felt somewhat guilty about it. That was partly why he had invited Lin Langtian to the Mysterious Heaven Hall on this occasion.
Thus, even if Lin Langtian discovered such a treasure, Lin Dong held no jealousy—only congratulations.
Seeing Lin Dong's generous response, Lin Langtian smiled slightly, appreciating Lin Dong's open-hearted nature.
Afterward, Lin Langtian stored the Scarlet Phoenix Flame Heart away, intending to find an opportunity to evolve the Fire Plume Sword later.
"Brother Langtian, let's go there."
After putting away the Nine Cauldron Divine Hammer, Lin Dong pointed towards the depths of the grand hall.
At the end of the hall stood an ancient stone gate covered in luminous runes.
Clearly, guided by Yan, the spirit of the Ancestral Stone, Lin Dong knew exactly where to go as if he were a prophet.
Lin Langtian looked at the door and narrowed his eyes slightly upon sensing faint strands of black energy hidden within the glowing runes.
Although the black threads were subtle, the sensation was unmistakable to Lin Langtian: it was Yimo energy.
"Mm." Lin Langtian nodded, realizing this was likely the location of the Mysterious Heaven Hall's artifact spirit.
Seeing Lin Langtian's affirmation, Lin Dong waved his palm, releasing a gentle white glow onto the ancient stone door. Gradually, the runes dimmed, and the faint black aura dissipated under the purifying white light.
Crack.
As the runes completely faded, the heavy stone door slowly swung open with a rumbling noise echoing through the hall.
Beyond the door lay a pitch-black, unfathomable darkness, so deep and overwhelming it gave the heart an eerie shudder.
Lin Langtian and Lin Dong exchanged a wary glance, each sensing something amiss in that profound darkness.
But neither were timid men. After exchanging determined nods, they stepped forward into the gloom.
The two advanced cautiously, illuminating the way ahead with a soft glow from their bodies, driving away the oppressive darkness.
Tap.
After traveling some distance, Lin Dong paused. He surveyed the endless darkness around him, his face suddenly turning icy. A dazzling white brilliance exploded from within him, filling the area and rapidly dissolving the darkness like snow under intense sunlight.
As the darkness receded, a strange sight emerged: a viscous black ocean, saturated with sinister energy.
Huge stone pillars rose from this black sea, each supporting divine artifacts of varied shapes floating atop. These artifacts were tainted pitch-black, constantly dripping black fluid into the ocean below.
Their gazes followed the numerous black chains to the center, where they saw a faint glowing figure—only the size of an infant—bound tightly by black chains. Streams of dark energy continually eroded it.
"Is that the artifact spirit of the Mysterious Heaven Hall?"
Lin Langtian's eyes narrowed further. The glowing figure appeared childlike but bore ancient-looking brows now contaminated by dark energy.
"Brother Langtian, truthfully, this treasure vault is the Mysterious Heaven Hall, tenth on the Ancient Divine Artifact List. Those pillars hold artifacts that previously slayed Yimo. But the artifacts themselves became tainted in the process. The artifact spirit probably wanted to purify them but underestimated the Yimo aura's combined strength," Lin Dong explained grimly.
"I see..." Lin Langtian replied, feigning surprise and understanding, although he had already known the truth.
"Brother Langtian, there's another reason I invited you here. I hope you can help me eliminate this Yimo energy," Lin Dong earnestly requested.
"Heh, relax. I wouldn't just stand by," Lin Langtian chuckled softly.
"Thank you, Brother Langtian."
Lin Dong smiled gently, then clenched his fists tightly and roared:
"Come out!"
A brilliant white glow burst from Lin Dong's palm, piercing the black ocean below.
Boom! Boom!
The black ocean churned furiously, and soon a fierce roar emerged. Black fluid surged upward, forming a colossal demon silhouette, eyes glowing ominously with anger:
"The power of the Ancestral Stone?! It's you, you damned brat!"
Lin Dong didn't respond. With a flick of his finger, another beam of white light shot down, forcing the demon silhouette back into the black ocean amidst angry howls.
Simultaneously, brilliant lightning and swirling darkness erupted from Lin Dong—revealing the Devouring Ancestral Symbol and the Thunderbolt Ancestral Symbol.
Lin Langtian mirrored his action, manifesting the Spatial Ancestral Symbol and the Devouring Ancestral Symbol within himself.
"Brother Langtian, let's attack!"
Lin Dong summoned a glowing ancient rune-stone inscribed with eight mysterious marks—the Eight Great Ancestral Symbols.
Seeing this, Lin Langtian's eyes narrowed slightly. No wonder the Ancestral Stone ranked second on the artifact list: it contained weakened versions of the Eight Ancestral Symbols!
Together, the four Ancestral Symbols' power surged, unleashing a torrent of destruction upon the Yimo silhouette, the contaminated artifacts, and the black sea itself.
Annihilating Yimo energy with ancestral symbols proved highly effective. Soon, the corrupted artifacts were purified, and the demon silhouette dispersed with a mournful wail.
With the evil purged, the infant-sized glowing figure opened its weary eyes, staring blankly at the rune-stone before exhaling in relief:
"To think it would be you who finally arrived."
Yet when it noticed the presence of two identical Devouring Ancestral Symbols, disbelief and shock filled its infantile voice:
"Two Devouring Ancestral Symbols… how… how is this possible?"
As the artifact spirit of the Mysterious Heaven Hall spoke in a childish yet ancient voice, it stared incredulously at the two identical Devouring Ancestral Symbols hovering above Lin Langtian and Lin Dong's heads. Such a scene was utterly impossible according to its knowledge. The Eight Great Ancestral Symbols were unique since their creation, and never had two identical symbols appeared simultaneously.
This was a phenomenon that should only occur if their original creator, the Symbol Ancestor himself, had somehow resurrected.
While the Mysterious Heaven Hall artifact spirit stood stupefied, another glowing silhouette gently drifted out from within the rune-stone. Lin Langtian narrowed his eyes slightly upon recognizing the identity of this new figure—the Ancestral Stone's spirit, ranked second on the Ancient Divine Artifact List.
Lin Dong appeared slightly startled at the sudden manifestation of the Ancestral Stone spirit but quickly regained his composure, turning to Lin Langtian to introduce:
"Brother Langtian, allow me to introduce my friend here. He is Yan, the spirit of the Ancestral Stone."
Lin Langtian feigned surprise, respectfully cupping his fists toward Yan:
"This junior, Lin Langtian, greets Senior Yan."
Yan waved dismissively, observing Lin Langtian's affected shock with a thoughtful expression:
"You don't seem completely unfamiliar with me."
Lin Langtian smiled politely, carefully responding:
"The Ancestral Stone, ranked second among the Ancient Divine Artifacts, is famous throughout the land. No wonder Brother Dong's cultivation improved so rapidly with Senior Yan's assistance."
Yan shook his head modestly.
"Lin Dong's growth is largely due to his own hard work. My assistance has merely been occasional."
Lin Langtian smiled quietly without arguing. Though Lin Dong indeed possessed exceptional talent, without Yan's support, reaching his current heights would undoubtedly have been far more challenging.
Yan then turned his attention back to Lin Langtian, his smile deepening meaningfully:
"Although my rank is second on the Ancient Divine Artifact List, the secrets you bear, young Lin Langtian, may not be inferior to mine."
Lin Langtian merely smiled mysteriously, choosing not to comment further. His own secret—the ability to replicate Ancestral Symbols—was best kept hidden.
Interrupting their subtle exchange, the artifact spirit of the Mysterious Heaven Hall spoke up with renewed interest:
"Enough with your riddles, Yan. I didn't expect you to still be alive. Given your injuries back then, I thought you would've perished long ago."
"I'm fortunate enough," Yan said lightly. "Following this kid around all these years allowed my injuries to heal bit by bit. However, the damage is far from fully repaired. Fortunately, now that I've found you, I can leave my wounds in your care."
The Mysterious Heaven Hall artifact spirit casually nodded, acknowledging Yan's words. While Yan surpassed him in battle prowess, the artifact spirit's skills in repairing and refining far exceeded Yan's own.
The artifact spirit then cast curious eyes upon Lin Langtian and Lin Dong again:
"These two boys seem exceptional, both possessing Ancestral Symbols. Since the master himself, I haven't seen anyone achieve this."
Clearly, the artifact spirit had already deduced Lin Dong as Yan's chosen heir. As for Lin Langtian, seeing his ability to manifest a second Devouring Ancestral Symbol hinted at even deeper secrets. Such power reminded the spirit of its original master, the Symbol Ancestor himself.
"Since we've found you, join us now," Yan stated casually, turning to the Mysterious Heaven Hall spirit. "Recognize Lin Dong as your master. It'll help avoid future troubles with the Yimo."
Lin Langtian's gaze flickered toward Lin Dong, reflecting that Yan's tone made it sound as if binding such a magnificent artifact—tenth-ranked on the artifact list—to a new master was trivial.
But indeed, this was a natural consequence of Lin Dong's identity as the Symbol Ancestor's heir.
As anticipated, the Mysterious Heaven Hall's artifact spirit pondered briefly before smiling readily:
"Alright."
Lin Dong blinked in surprise, awkwardly accepting the spirit's immediate agreement. Lin Langtian stood aside, quietly considering Lin Dong's unique status.
At that moment, a streak of light flew out, imprinting itself between Lin Dong's brows.
"Place your essence blood upon it. Once done, you'll control everything within this hall—including all the artifacts," the artifact spirit instructed.
Lin Dong nodded, quickly doing as instructed.
Suddenly, Lin Langtian felt a subtle resonance from the Scarlet Phoenix Flame Heart concealed in his clothes. Evidently, after Lin Dong gained control of the Mysterious Heaven Hall, a connection briefly formed, but Lin Dong quickly severed it, realizing what happened.
"Sorry, Brother Langtian. I just took control and didn't mean anything by that," Lin Dong apologized hastily.
Lin Langtian chuckled lightly, unconcerned.
"No worries, I trust you."
Lin Langtian's gaze turned solemn again.
"Let's go. Outside awaits greater trouble."
Lin Dong nodded grimly, fully aware that outside were three Great Demon Commanders and numerous powerful experts awaiting their return.
At that, the two young men exchanged resolute glances before heading out, prepared to face the storm awaiting them.
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on February 2, 2026.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1